NY: SPX Genfare Begins Fare Collection System Upgrade with CDTA

SPX Genfare has entered into an agreement to provide long time customer, the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) with an upgrade to its fare collection system. CDTA’s new system will make services for its customers easier and more convenient with the addition of the new Fast Fare-e remote reader system.

“Transit systems like CDTA justify their fare collection system purchases with cost-effective programs that work for customers. Reduced maintenance and shorter wait times are two important benefits of Fast Fare that helped drive their decision,” said Richard (Sandy) Galli, Director of Sales – Eastern Region for Genfare.

“We take pride in our innovative nature and the benefits it has provided for our customers,” said CDTA Chairman David Stackrow. “Our focus remains improving the riding experience for customers and the implementation of exciting technological improvements such as smartcards and mobile ticketing further highlights transit’s growing role in moving New York’s Capital Region.”

CDTA serves more than 800,000 people who live and work in the Capital Region with a transit system that combines innovative services, partnerships and community support. System-wide ridership will pass 16 million for the first time in decades with nearly 60,000 customers using the system each weekday.

“When the system is fully deployed, point-of-sale terminals will be placed in retail stores to give CDTA customers a convenient way to recharge their smart cards,” remarked Galli. “CDTA will distribute a large number of devices across its network to accept passes with additional choices set up in satellite ticket offices.”

The history between the two companies dates back 20 years when CDTA first introduced a Genfare card program to its ridership in the 1990s. A major farebox upgrade occurred in 2003 with installation of Genfare’s Odyssey system that offered magnetic pass swiping and Ticket Receiving in Machines that coded cards when processing a fee. In 2005, CDTA used a Genfare upgrade to begin a Day Pass program that boosted ridership and increased sales over the prior year.